Nickel City Chef Battle Bread, featuring pain rustique, traditional French baguette, Grain Up! sourdough, and vollkornbrot from Elm Street Bakery in East Aurora, NY, took place on March 8, 2015. Nickel City Chef Brian Mietus of Bacchus Restaurant and his sous chef, Soichiro Kimura, took on Challenger Dustin Murphy of Tabree, and his sous chef Adrian Bylewski.

Judges included Izabela Wojcik, Director of House Programming for the James Beard Foundation, chef Brad Rowell of Elm Street Bakery, and chef Corey Kley of Rue Franklin, a winner from season six.

The show was held at Artisan Kitchens & Baths in Buffalo, NY and hosted by Bert Gambini, Chef Mike Andrzjewski (Seabar, Tappo, Cantina Loco, and Bourbon & Butter), and special guest, chef Adam Goetz of Craving.

Nickel City Chef, a Feed Your Soul production, is an exciting and popular cooking competition, but it is so much more than that, too. You can read more about its mission here.

Nickel City Chef kicked off its fifth season on February 24th with a battle featuring Arden Farm‘s kale as a secret ingredient. Arden Farm is an organic farm located in East Aurora and operated by the great grandson of Elbert Hubbard, founder of the Roycroft.

Challenging Chef Michael Obarka of Ristorante Lombardo took on Nickel City Chef JJ Richert of Torches. The two are longtime friends who cut their teeth together at Westwood Country Club. Judges for the day included Janice Okun, the former restaurant critic and food editor of the Buffalo News, Nelson Starr, a Buffalo Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, and Chef Mark Mistriner, CEC, founder and Division Chair of the new Niagara Falls Culinary Institute.

Next on the roster is the 22nd installment of the show which takes place on March 10th and features Nickel City Chef Jennifer Boye of the Mansion versus Chef Teddy Bryant of Lloyd Taco Trucks.

Nickel City Chef’s fifth season sold out in less than a day. Feed Your Soul, the production company behind the series, seeks to showcase the culinary talent, in the field and the kitchen, that exists here in WNY.
This season is sponsored by Niagara Falls Culinary Institute, Wegmans, Cutco, Artisan Kitchens & Baths, Leonard Oakes Estate Winery, D’Avolio, Healthy Options from Independent Health Foundation, Mansion on Delaware Avenue, You & Who, and fine appliance companies, Viking, Fisher & Paykel, DCS, and Sub Zero/Wolf.